Entertainment

Julian Assange Records The Simpsons Guest Spot While Under House Arrest

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is set to play himself in the 500th episode of The Simpsons, according to a report by Entertainment Weekly.

Assange — who has been the subject of a grand jury investigation in the U.S. that has been going on for more than 500 days amid sex crime allegations — reportedly recorded a guest appearance for the show last summer while under house arrest. It will air on February 19 for the franchise's milestone episode.

The report noted that the series creator Matt Groening sought involvement from the editor of WikiLeaks — a controversial website known for publishing leaked documents that allege government and corporate misconduct — after he heard he wanted to be a guest star on the show.

“So we asked our casting director Bonnie Pietila — who had been able to unearth Thomas Pynchon and got Tony Blair to do the show — to find Mr. Assange. And she did,” The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean told EW.

He recorded his lines while under house arrest and was directed remotely. The episode will focus on how Homer and Marge find out that their Springfield hometown is planning to kick them out of town, the report said. The Simpsons decide to relocate for a while and Assange becomes their new neighbor.

“He’s a controversial figure, and there’s a good reason he’s controversial,” Jean told EW. “There was discussion internally whether or not to have him on the show, but ultimately we went ahead and did it. We wanted to make sure it was satirical, and he was willing to do that.”

Jean added that the content of his lines doesn't have anything to do with his legal situation. Assange plans to appeal allegations against him in front of Britain’s Supreme Court this week.

Although Assange remains under house arrest, he hasn't been shy about staying in the public eye. It was announced last week that Assange will be launching a TV show, where he will host “a series of in-depth conversations with key political players, thinkers and revolutionaries from around the world," according to WikiLeak's blog.

The series — which will have the theme "the world tomorrow" — will have 10 weekly half-hour episodes. The statement doesn’t outline what form of distribution the show will take, though it notes that “initial licensing commitments cover over 600 million viewers across cable, satellite and terrestrial broadcast networks.”

Meanwhile, WikiLeaks last year opened an online gift shop to raise funds. Items for sale included t-shirts, duffle bags, umbrellas, buttons with the WikiLeaks logo and Assange and the organization’s tagline, “Courage is contagious.”

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